Danny Puff

(Reuters) - Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have gone into the wine business, helping to produce a rose called Miraval from their French estate and putting their names on the label, wine website Decanter.com reported.

The movie star couple have been working with French winemaker Marc Perrin starting with the 2012 harvest, the website said. The Miraval wine will be on the market in March, and white wines will begin arriving by the end of this summer.

"They ... want to ensure they are making the best Provence wines they can," Perrin told Britain-based Decanter.com. on Wednesday.

"They were present at the blending sessions this year, and are relooking at everything from the installations in the winery - where we have already switched to stainless steel tanks - to reworking the labels across the range of wines," he added.

The back label of the Miraval wine carries the names Jolie-Pitt and Perrin.

Pitt and Jolie began renting Chateau Miraval in Correns, southern France, about four years ago and later bought the property, which has about 148 acres of vines.

The Miraval wine was formerly called Pink Floyd because the British rock band recorded their 1979 album "The Wall" in a studio on the estate, Decanter.com said.

Pitt last year unveiled a high-end collection of furniture that he helped create with designer Frank Pollaro. He has also worked with architects to create affordable quality housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Xavier Briand)

Read More

NEW YORK (AP) Nearing 1 billion views on YouTube, "Sesame Street" is headed for Justin Bieber territory.

The children's program is closing in on the kind of rarified digital milestone usually reserved for the likes of pop stars and cat videos. "Sesame Street" will soon pass 1 billion views on YouTube and it's celebrating the mark with a campaign to put itself over the hump.

"Sesame Street" on Thursday will post a video featuring the character Telly Monster, urging viewers to click the show past the final 20 million views and unlock a "top secret video." Naturally, for the nonprofit children's series, it's a teaching moment, too. Don't be surprised if Count von Count shows up to ponder such a big number.

For "Sesame Street," the milestone a first on YouTube for a nonprofit or U.S. children's media outlet reflects the increasingly multimedia nature of kid entertainment. Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch are now about as likely to be watched on an iPad, phone or laptop as they are on PBS.

"We have this theory that if we get content on multiple platforms and devices, it gives kids and families a chance to reinforce and experience the curriculum multiple times," says Terry Fitzpatrick, executive vice president of content and distribution for Sesame Workshop, who emphasizes videos are best co-viewed with child and parent. "It blows me away to think about how popular and strong a platform (YouTube) has become for us."

"Sesame Street," a mainstay on PBS since 1970, launched its YouTube channel in 2006, but has continually expanded its mindfulness of online and mobile viewers.

Sesame Workshop last year integrated its digital media group into its TV production, so that digital and interactive elements are considered from the start of an idea. Its most popular video is "Elmo's Song," which has been watched nearly 86 million times since being uploaded in 2009. More recently, another PBS hit, "Downton Abbey," was parodied in "Upside Downton Abbey," a video where British muppets have trouble drinking tea and eating crumpets because, well, they're upside down.

Caitlin Hendrickson, strategic partner manager for YouTube's educational realm, YouTube EDU, says that education is one of the fastest growing content categories on the Google Inc.-owned site. "Sesame Street" reaching 1 billion views, she said in a statement, "is proof of their outstanding leadership in this space and their creative use of YouTube."

___

Online:

http://www.youtube.com/user/SesameStreet

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jake_coyle

Read More

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor, writer and comedian Steve Martin has become a dad for the first time at age 67 - and managed to keep it secret from the media for more than a month.

Martin and his second wife, Anne Stringfield, 41, "are new parents and recently welcomed a child," a spokeswoman for the actor said on Wednesday.

The spokeswoman gave no details, including the sex of the child or the date of birth. But the New York Post cited unidentified sources as saying the baby arrived in December.

The multi-talented Martin, whose career as a writer and performer dates back more than 45 years, has played a father in movies such as "Parenthood," Cheaper by the Dozen," and "Father of the Bride."

Martin, who has hosted the Oscars ceremony three times, married Stringfield, a former writer at the New Yorker magazine, in 2007. His eight-year marriage to British actress Victoria Tennant ended in divorce in 1994.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey: Editing by Jill Serjeant and Peter Cooney)

Read More

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index opened lower on Thursday, with declines in BlackBerry and energy shares offsetting a rise in Barrick Gold Corp after the miner reported quarterly results.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was down 24.74 points, or 0.19 percent, at 12,750.54 shortly after the open.

(Reporting by John Tilak; Editing by James Dalgleish)

Read More

A girl attempts to keep candles lit at a memorial outside Sandy Hook Elementary School. (Dylan Stableford)

Sandy Hook Promise the organization formed last month to honor the 20 children and six adults killed in the Newtown, Conn., school shootings has launched a social media campaign for Valentine's Day to mark the two-month anniversary of the massacre.

The group, which includes dozens of parents of the Sandy Hook Elementary School victims, is asking supporters to send virtual Valentines on Feb. 14 using the hashtag #1MillionHearts.

Participants can share the messages on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest from a page on the group's website.

Alyssa Milano, rapper will.i.am and Jennifer Hudson who performed at the Super Bowl with a Newtown children's choir are among the celebrities who have already pledged their support for the #1MillionHearts initiative from their Twitter feeds.

"I'm sending a valentine to #Newtown with #1MillionHearts for @SandyHook," Hudson tweeted. "Join me."

Lee Shull, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise, said Valentine's Day "seemed natural to create a special way for Americans to continue channeling their love and support."

[Related: Parents of Sandy Hook victims speak, urging real change ]

Last month, the group held an emotional press conference in Newtown to promote a national dialogue on gun violence, mental health and school safety.

"This is a promise to do everything in our power to be remembered not as the town filled with grief and victims but as a place where real change began," Nelba M rquez-Greene, whose 6-year-old daughter Ana was killed in the Dec. 14 shooting, said.

The group stopped short of taking sides in the gun-control debate.



"Some of us are gun owners," Tom Bittman, co-founder of the initiative, said last month. "We hunt, target shoot, protect our homes. We teach our sons and daughters how to use guns safely. [But] we're not afraid of a discussion about responsibility and accountability. The bottom line is we must act. We can't let this happen again. Doing nothing is no longer an option."

Read More

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) The Miss America pageant is headed back to Atlantic City.

The pageant, a staple in Atlantic City for decades before it was moved to Las Vegas in 2006, is making a return, Gov. Chris Christie's spokesman Michael Drewniak confirmed Wednesday. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno was scheduled to make a formal announcement Thursday at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall.

News of the pageant's return to Atlantic City came as a surprise to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which sponsored the pageant on the Las Vegas Strip in January, spokeswoman Courtney Fitzgerald said in a telephone interview. In a subsequent statement, she said the tourism organization wished the pageant well in its new home.

"Las Vegas is honored to have hosted the Miss America pageant for the past seven years," she said. "We understand that moving the televised event to various cities showcases America's diverse destinations which represent our great country."

Pageant officials didn't immediately respond to after-hours phone and email messages seeking comment Wednesday.

Many details remained unclear, including whether the pageant would return to the elaborate show it had been for decades at Boardwalk Hall or continue as more of the reality show it became with its move to Las Vegas. Also unknown was where it would be broadcast and whether it is returning permanently or for a limited run.

The Miss America pageant started as little more than a bathing suit revue. It broke viewership records in its heyday and bills itself as one of the world's largest scholarship programs for women. But, like other pageants, it has struggled to stay relevant as national attitudes regarding women's rights have changed.

According to the Miss America Organization's website, the contest originated in 1920 as the Fall Frolic, which became the Inter-City Beauty Contest the following year. In 1921, a high school junior named Margaret Gorman was one of approximately 1,000 entrants in a photo contest held by the Washington Herald. She was chosen as the first Miss Washington, D.C., and her prize was a trip to Atlantic City, where she won the top prize: the Golden Mermaid Trophy.

The next year, Gorman was expected to defend her title. But when the Washington Herald selected a new Miss Washington, D.C., Atlantic City pageant officials didn't know what new title to award Gorman. Since both titles she won in 1921 Inter-City Beauty, Amateur and The Most Beautiful Bathing Girl in America were considered somewhat awkward, it was decided to call her Miss America.

The pageant was conceived by the Businessmen's League of Atlantic City as a way to extend the summer tourism season in Atlantic City for another week, being held the weekend after Labor Day weekend, when temperatures were generally still warm.

___

Associated Press writer Hannah Dreier in Las Vegas contributed to this story.

___

Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC

Read More

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Lady Gaga has canceled the rest of her tour dates due to a hip injury.

Live Nation Global Touring said in a news release Wednesday that Lady Gaga has a tear in her right hip that will require surgery, followed by a recovery period.

The pop star's website showed 21 dates through March 20 remaining on her "Born This Way Ball" tour schedule. Fans who have already bought tickets will receive a refund beginning Thursday.

Lady Gaga postponed four dates on Tuesday after experiencing difficulties Monday during her concert in Montreal. The singer's show is high energy with non-stop dancing. She explained to fans on Twitter that she'd hurt herself while performing some time ago.

She wrote: "I hid it from my staff, I didn't want to disappoint my amazing fans. However after last nights performance I could not walk and still can't".

Gaga has not tweeted since.

A news release announcing postponements Tuesday said the 26-year-old singer, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, was suffering from synovitis, an inflammation of the joints. She underwent tests Wednesday morning that showed she had a labral tear in her right hip, however. The labrum is a layer of muscle that helps holds the ball-shaped hip joint in place. The news release says the surgery will require strict downtime.

The tour, in support of her second album "Born This Way," began last April in Asia and was one of 2012's highest grossing.

Pollstar reported the tour made more than $161 million in 2012 with an average attendance of more than 31,000, making it the fifth-highest grossing tour.

___

Follow AP Music Writer Chris Talbott: http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott .

Read More

The mother of an Alabama boy held for days in an underground bunker said in an interview broadcast Wednesday that she forgave her son's captor early in the standoff and asked authorities not to harm him.

Jennifer Kirkland's son, Ethan Gilman, was a captive for six days in rural Midland City, Ala., before FBI agents entered the bunker and killed 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes.

Dykes "took care of Ethan to the best of his abilities" by cooking chicken for the boy and asking hostage negotiators to bring the child his favorite toy car, his mother told Dr. Phil McGraw in an interview for the "Dr. Phil Show."

"From the very beginning I had already forgiven Mr. Dykes, even though he still had my child," Kirkland said. "...I asked that he not be hurt. But if it came down to it, you know, of course I want my child safe."

Authorities returned Ethan unharmed after a gunbattle in which Dykes, according to a coroner, was shot multiple times. Kirkland said her son, who turned 6 just two days after the rescue, told her that he witnessed the shooting.

Members of the rescue team used stun grenades to disorient Dykes, who had a gun and had become agitated with negotiators, before rushing into the bunker, she said.

"They went in and covered Ethan with a vest and they shot Mr. Dykes," Kirkland said.

Ethan saw the agents kill his captor, his mother said, just as days earlier he had witnessed Dykes storm onto his school bus and fatally shoot the driver, Charles Albert Poland Jr.

Poland and Ethan had become close, Kirkland said, as the driver had helped the boy work up the courage to get off the bus by himself.

"Ethan has always been scared of coming down the bus steps," Kirkland said. "And Mr. Poland would always cheer him on, you know, 'Come on, little buddy, you can do it.'"

Ethan typically sat right behind Poland on the school bus, where the driver could keep an eye on him, Kirkland said.

That's where the boy was sitting the day police say Dykes came aboard the bus armed with a gun and demanding two hostages. Authorities say Poland was shot trying to stand between Dykes and the children.

"The reason I think Ethan was taken off the bus is because when he saw Mr. Poland shot, Ethan passed out," Kirkland said. "Mr. Dykes went down to catch him and he picked him up. And I think, in his own way, he was trying to care for him."

After the shooting, authorities say, Dykes fled to the bunker with the child as the standoff opened.

Read More

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea unveiled a cruise missile on Thursday that it said can hit the office of North Korea's leaders, trying to address concerns that it is technologically behind its unpredictable rival which this week conducted its third nuclear test.

South Korean officials declined to say the exact range of the missile but said it could hit targets anywhere in North Korea.

The Defence Ministry released video footage of the missiles being launched from destroyers and submarines striking mock targets. The weapon was previewed in April last year and officials said deployment was now complete.

"The cruise missile being unveiled today is a precision-guided weapon that can identify and strike the window of the office of North Korea's leadership," ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said told reporters.

North Korea has forged ahead with long-range missile development, successfully launching a rocket in December that put a satellite into orbit.

The North's ultimate aim, Washington believes, is to design an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead that could hit the United States.

North Korea, which accuses the United States and its "puppet", South Korea, of war-mongering on an almost daily basis, is likely to respond angrily to South Korea flexing its muscles.

North Korea, technically still at war with the South after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, carried out its third nuclear test on Tuesday, drawing condemnation from around the world including its only major ally China.

The test and the threat of more unspecified actions from Pyongyang have raised tensions on the Korean peninsula as the South prepares to inaugurate a new president on February 25.

"The situation prevailing on the Korean peninsula at present is so serious that even a slight accidental case may lead to an all-out war which can disturb the whole region," North Korea's official KCNA news agency said.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Read More

NEW YORK (AP) A sister of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a two-book deal.

HarperCollins announced Wednesday that Randi Zuckerberg, a social media executive and entrepreneur who left Facebook in 2011, plans a memoir/lifestyle book titled "Dot Complicated" and a children's story.

"Dot Complicated," scheduled for release Nov. 5, will combine personal and professional insights for the digital age, from Zuckerberg's years as Facebook's marketing director to becoming a mother in 2011. "Dot Complicated" also is the name of her online newsletter.

Zuckerberg said in a statement technology has changed almost every part of people's lives, resulting in a digital society "that feels a lot like the wild, wild west."

"I am thrilled to be working with HarperCollins to share some of my own crazy experiences on the front lines of social media and to inspire people of all ages to embrace technology, as well as the new set of social norms that come along with it," she said.

Zuckerberg, who has founded her own Zuckerberg Media company, is known in part for opposing anonymity online, saying it enables cyberbullying. Her brother co-founded Facebook in his Harvard University dorm room in 2004, and his net worth is estimated at $9.4 billion.

Read More